Water Meadow
A water meadow is an area of grassland that was fertilized by intentionally flooding it at certain points in the year.
Water Meadows were created by digging channels from rivers into and across fields to let water flood across them. This water flow reduced the effects of frost in winter so grazing pastures would grow grass earlier and it kept fields from drying out in the summer.
From the Medieval period (CE410-CE1540) up until the 17th century, most of the flooding involved simply blocking a watercourse and allowing it to flow onto the surrounding farmland. Systems for controlled drainage developed later. These drainage systems let farmers use land that would naturally be waterlogged and increased the amount of farmable land available.
Early systems may be harder to recognise because they were usually only dams blocking nearby watercourses. Later systems are more complex arrangements of channels, drains and ponds that may still be visible after modern farming.
Further Reading:
Historic England’s Introductions to Heritage Assets: Water Meadows
What to look for:
- A system of gutters, drains or feeder ponds within a field or meadow, which could either be geometric or irregular in their layout
- Indications of structures including bridges, aqueducts, culverts, sluices and weirs
- A location adjacent to a river or streambed
